Car and side structure for car and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

In order to provide a car-body structure which has few different kinds of structural members, a small number of structural members, a small occurrence of strain and which is high in dimensional accuracy, and, consequently, in assembling accuracy, each of the car-body blocks is formed of a one-piece structure consisting of an outside plate and a reinforcing plate, each of which is made of a metallic material. The reinforcing plate is composed of panels divided into a plurality of sections; and, each of the panels has a plurality of beads in the form of a long and narrow projection formed by plastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinal direction of the block. A bar-ring in the form of a long hole with a rib extending in the direction of the block is formed between the beads through plastic working. Further, at least one post-shaped protrusion extending in the direction intersecting at a right angle with the bead is provided in each of panels of the reinforcing plate. The bead, the barring and the post-shaped protrusion are projected in one side of the surface of the panel; at least one end of the bead and the post-shaped protrusion are connected so as to form one structure; and the panel and the outside plate are joined in a unit.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a car-body structure in which framemembers are formed by press forming from a plate material, and a methodof manufacturing the car-body, and a car using the car-body structure;and, more particularly, the invention relates to a car-body structuresuitable for use as a side structure and an end structure of a rail-car,and a method of manufacturing the car-body structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional body structure for a rail-car, for example, a sidestructure, is manufactured by weld-joining a rocker rail, a side post, abelt rail, a window head, a window post, a door end post and so on.

Since the car-body structure is composed of many frame members, a frameformed in a one-piece structure is proposed in order to simplify thecar-body structure.

In a car-body structure disclosed, for example, in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No.5-262228, a frame member is formed ofcorrugated plates divided into a plurality of sections and having aplurality of ribs, and the frame member is spot-welded to an outsideplate. The frame member has holes on a surface in contact with theoutside plate. Further, reinforcing members are welded and joined to thecorrugated plates in a direction transversely intersecting with thecorrugated plates.

In a car-body structure disclosed in Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No.5-262227, ribs in the car-body structure according to thepatent application are arranged so as to be staggered.

Further, in a car-body structure disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No.5-69823, a side structure is formed by joininga plurality of inner panels having projections and depressions formed bypress working to a flat-plate outer panel to be used as an outsideplate.

However, the above-mentioned car-body structures in, there is problem inthat strain occurs and dimensional accuracy is degraded due to use ofmany kinds of members, a large number of parts and weld-joining ofindividual frame members.

Since the car-body structure disclosed in Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No.5-262227 has a great number of long ribs in thelongitudinal direction of the car-body, the stiffness of the car-bodystructure in the vertical direction is low. Therefore, additional postsare provided. Notches are provided in order to prevent the occurrence ofwrinkles or cracks around a hole, which makes the manufacture complex.

In addition to this, since the reinforcing plate in each of the abovecited references is fabricated by press working, strain is apt to occurand the surface flatness is degraded. When such a reinforcing plate isspot-welded to an outside plate, strain or unevenness occurs in theoutside plate. Therefore, the dimensional accuracy is degraded, and,consequently, the assembling accuracy of the car-body is degraded.

The objective workpiece in each of, Japanese Patent ApplicationLaid-Open No.5-262227, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.5-262228and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.5-69823, has a sidestructure without a bending portion in a wainscot panel portion of thecar-body. Therefore, the technology disclosed in each of theabove-mentioned publication cannot be applied to a car-body having abending portion in a wainscot panel portion of the car-body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a car-body which iscomposed of a small number of structural members and has a highstiffness, and a method of manufacturing the car-body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a car-body inwhich strain in the structural members is small, and the dimensionalaccuracy, and consequently, assembling accuracy of the car-body is high,and a method of manufacturing the car-body.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method ofmanufacturing a car-body which can be applied to a car-body structurehaving a bending portion in a wainscot panel portion of the car-body.

A characteristic of the present invention is in the provision of a carin which at least one of a side block, a roof block and an end block isformed of a one-piece structure consisting of an outside plate and areinforcing plate;

the reinforcing plate is composed of panels, the panel having a bead ofa long and narrow projection formed by plastic working of a metal plateand extending in the longitudinal direction of the block, a holeextending along the bead and a bar-ring formed through plastic workingaround the hole, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in the directionintersecting at right angle with the longitudinal direction of the beadand the bar-ring;

the bead, the bar-ring and the post-shaped protrusion are projected inone side of the surface of the panel;

at least one end of the bead and the post-shaped protrusion is connectedso as to form one and

the panel and the outside plate are joined in a unit. Anothercharacteristic of the present invention is in the provision of a car inwhich at least one of a side block, a roof block and an end block isformed of a one-piece structure consisting of an outside plate and areinforcing plate which are made of a metallic material;

the reinforcing plate is composed of panels, the panel having a bead ofa long and narrow projection formed by plastic working of a metal plateand extending in the longitudinal direction of the block, and apost-shaped protrusion extending in the direction intersecting at rightangle with the longitudinal direction of the bead;

at least one of the panels has a plurality of the beads;

each of the beads and the post-shaped protrusion are projected in oneside of the surface of the panel;

the bead is formed through roll working under a compressing force aslarge as a load at the yield point or several times of the yieldstrength of a material the panel; and

the panel and the outside plate are joined in a unit.

A further characteristic of the present invention is in the provision ofa car in which the side block has a bending portion in a wainscot panelportion, and a depression extending in a direction intersecting at aright angle with the longitudinal direction of the post-shapedprotrusion is formed on the top surface of the post-shaped protrusioncorresponding to the bending portion.

In the reinforcing plate in accordance with the present invention, thenumber of parts can be reduced since portions for maintaining thestrength of the reinforcing plate, that is, beads, bar-rings andpost-shaped protrusions, are formed in a one-piece structure. Further,since at least one end of the bead and the post-shaped protrusion in thereinforcing plate are connected so as to form one structure throughplastic working, the strength of the reinforcing plate against avertical force and a horizontal force acting on the connecting portionbecomes strong and a high rigidity can be attained. Therefore, it ispossible to provide a car having a small number of structural membersand a high rigidity, and a method of manufacturing the car.

Furthermore, the reinforcing plate has a plurality of beads andbar-rings in parallel and post-shaped protrusions in a directionintersecting at right angle with the beads, and a compressing force aslarge as the load at the yield point or several times the yield strengthof the material of the panel is applied to the reinforcing plate in thethickness direction of the material in order to form the beads.Therefore, it is possible to provide a car having a high rigidity in thereinforcing plate, small stress in the structural member, a highdimensional accuracy and, accordingly, a high assembling accuracy.

By providing a plurality of ribs having a depressing rib on the upperrib portion of the one-piece panel, it is possible to absorb thedifference between inner and outer peripheral lengths caused by bending.Therefore, the structure can be applied to various type of cars, even toa car having a bending portion in the wainscot panel portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a car-body structure, of a rail-carwithout a bending portion in the wainscot panel portion, manufactured bya method in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a rail-car having the car-body structureof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enraged front view showing the main portion of a side blockwhich represents one of the structural elements of the car-bodystructure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line A—A ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line B—B ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line C—C ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line D—D ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion E of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion F of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged front view of the portion F of FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion H of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a car-bodystructure of a rail-car with a bending portion in the wainscot panelportion, which corresponds to the cross-sectional view taken on theplane of the line B—B of FIG. 3.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a portion of a car-body structureof a rail-car with a bending portion in the wainscot panel portion,which corresponds to the portion G of FIG. 3, that is, the bendingportion in the wainscot panel portion of the car body.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a process of manufacturing a sideblock of a car-body in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a view explaining the process of manufacturing the side blockcorresponding to the process of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged front view showing the main portion of a metalpattern used for working a bending portion in a wainscot panel portionof a car-body.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line A—A ofFIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing a bending portion in a wainscot panelportion of a car-body formed by a method in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 19 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a metal pattern forworking a portion along the line A—A of FIG. 18

FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a metal pattern forworking a portion along the line B—B of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a metal pattern forworking a portion along the line C—C of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view for explaining another method ofmanufacturing a wainscot panel forming a side block in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 23 is a perspective view for explaining a further method ofmanufacturing a wainscot panel forming a side block in accordance withthe present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below withreference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of acar-body structure of a rail-car manufactured by a method in accordancewith the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a rail-carhaving the car-body structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarge front viewshowing the main portion of a side structure representing one of thestructural elements of a car-body structure.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a car-body structure 1 is constructed byblocks consisting of a floor block 100, side blocks 200, end blocks 300and a roof block 400. In this embodiment, the car has no bending portionin the wainscot panel portion, and the side block 200 is flat-plateshaped.

The floor block 100 comprises a plurality of cross beams 101 made ofstainless steel and extending in the lateral direction, a plurality ofcenter beams made of stainless steel and intersecting at a right anglewith the cross beams, a floor plate 105, such as a metal plate or ahoneycomb panel placed on these beams and a mat made of a resin materialspread over the floor.

The side block 200 is constructed with a side structure composed of areinforcing plate 201 made of stainless steel, an outside plate 202 madeof stainless steel and fixed onto the outer surface of the reinforcingplate to form a unit, and an inner plate, not shown, fixed on the innerside of the side structure.

In order to make it easy to understand the structure of the side block200, FIG. 1 shows the reinforcing plate 201 as seen from the inside ofthe car-body 1 on left hand side and the outside plate 202 as seen fromthe outside of the car-body on the in right hand side.

In the side block 200, a plurality of window portions 207 and anentrance 209 are provided. The reinforcing plate 201 comprises awainscot panel portion 222 under the window portion 207, a frieze boardportion 221 above the window portion 207, a door pocket plate 220between the window portion 207 and the entrance 209 and a door headerpanel portion 223 above the door pocket plates 220 and the entrance 209.

As shown in FIG. 3, the wainscot panel portion 222 comprises post-shapedprotrusions 224 and a plate for a window sill 229 which are formed bydeforming part of the reinforcing plate 201 into a projecting-shape ortrapezoidal shape (hereinafter, referred to a “trapezoid-shape”).

There is a rocker rail 232 in the lower end of the reinforcing plate 201and the door pocket panel 220. The rocker rail is fixed to the outsideplate 202 by spot-welding.

The outside plate 202 is divided into plurality of plates in advance,and end portions of the plates are overlapped and spot-welded to producea unified structure.

The reinforcing plate 201 is formed by separately forming the doorpocket plate 220, the frieze board portion 21, the wainscot panelportion 222, the door header panel portion 223 in advance and joiningthe panel portions to form a single unit. For example, the door pocketportion 220, the wainscot panel portion 222, the frieze board 221 andthe door header panel portion 223 are arranged on predeterminedpositions at the inner side of the outside plate 202, and they are fixedto the outside plate 202 to form a unit by spot-welding. The lower endof the inner side of the outside plate 202 is spot-welded to the rockerrail 232 in the longitudinal direction.

A window header 230 and a window sill 229 are spot-welded to the innerside of the outside plate 202 in the portions above and below the windowportion 207 along the window. End portions and the vicinity of thepost-shaped protrusions 224, 227 of the wainscot panel portion 222 andthe frieze board 221 are overlapped with and spot-welded to the topportions and the bottom portions of the window header 230 and the windowsill 229.

The wainscot panel portion 222 comprises two post-shaped protrusions 224(3 positions×3 stages), nine beads 222 b along the longitudinaldirection of the car-body, and six bar-rings 222 a provided between thebeads 222 b (3 positions×2 stages).

The post-shaped protrusion 224, each of the beads 222 b, and a portion(joining flange) 224 c of the wainscot panel portion 222 over lappingwith the door pocket plate 220 are projected toward the inner side ofthe car-body and are formed by plastic working of one sheet of plate.

The end block 300 is composed of end posts 306 and an end outside plate(placed outside of the reference character 308) and so on. The roofblock 400 is composed of side plates 403, car-lines 405, an outsideplate 407 and so on.

The reinforcing plate 201 of the side block 200 is formed by dividingand separately working a plurality of panel portions, such as the doorpocket portion 220, the frieze board portion 221, wainscot panel portion222, the door header panel portion 223 and so on, and then spot-weldingthe divided panels to the outside plate 202 in a unit to form a sidestructure.

The door pocket portion 220 comprises trapezoid (triangular) beads 220b, bar-rings 220 a, a door end post 225 of a trapezoidal post-shapedprotrusion and an entrance post 226 which are formed in a one-piecestructure by press working. The hole formed by the bar-ring 220 a in thedoor pocket portion 220 is to reduce the weight.

A conventional reinforcing plate has a large number of parts, since aplurality of reinforcing parts, which correspond to the beads, thebar-ring and the post-shaped protrusion in accordance with the presentinvention, for each of the blocks, such as a door pocket portion, afrieze board portion, a wainscot panel portion and a door header panelportion, are independently fabricated and then spot-welded to an outsideplate. On the other hand, according to the present invention, the numberof parts is small, since the portions for maintaining the strength ofthe reinforcing plate 201, that is, the beads, the bar-ring and thepost-shaped protrusion, are formed in a one-piece structure by plasticworking.

Further, a pair of beads 220 b 1, 220 b 2 provided in the door pocketportion 220 are formed in an upper portion and a lower portion of anarrow place with the extension line of the window sill 229 of thewainscot panel portion 222 located therebetween. There is provided nobar-ring between the pair of beads 220 b 1, 220 b 2. Thereby, thestrength of the door pocket portion 220 is increased, and so the doorpocket portion 220 can withstand a large horizontal force from thewindow sill 229.

The frieze board portion 221 comprises trapezoid beads 221 b, bar-rings221 a and trapezoidal post-shaped protrusions, that is, window posts227.

The wainscot panel portion 222 comprises trapezoidal beads 222 b, sixbar-rings 222 a and two trapezoidal post-shaped protrusions 224. Thebar-ring 222 a is formed by protruding the periphery of a hole providedin the wainscot panel portion 222.

The door header panel portion 223 comprises beads 223 b, bar-rings 223 aand post-shaped protrusions, that is, door header posts 236. For aportion which requires not so a high a strength, a reduction in theweight may be performed by forming simple holes, instead of the bar-ring220 a.

The reinforcing plate 201 of the side block 200 is formed in a one-piecestructure by using, for example, stainless steel as the working rawmaterial, plastic-working the beads (220 b, 221 b, 222 b), the bar-rings(220 a, 221 a, 222 a), the trapezoidal ribs (224, 225, 226, 227, 236)and so on with a press, depending on the shape of each panel, and thenspot-welding them.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the frieze board portion 221 takenon the plane of the line A—A of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional viewof the wainscot panel portion 222 taken on the plane of the line B—B ofFIG. 3.

It can be understood from FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 that a characteristic of thepresent invention resides in the that, in a reinforcing plate 201, aplurality of beads and bar-rings are provided in parallel, andtrapezoidal ribs or posts are provided in a direction intersecting at aright angle with the beads and the bar-rings, and, further, the ribs andthe beads are connected. By doing so, the rigidity of the side block 200can be increased. Particularly, by connecting the beads and the ribs,the strength is increased against a vertical force and a horizontalforce acting on the connecting portion, and, accordingly, a highrigidity can be attained. Furthermore, by applying a compressing forceas large as load at the yield point or several times of the yieldstrength of the steel material of the reinforcing plate in the thicknessdirection of the steel plate, strain caused by bead working can besuppressed to a small level and, accordingly, a reinforcing plate havingsmall strain can be obtained. Herein, the reference character 203indicates an inner plate.

A method of working the bead 222 b is that initially beads arepre-formed by pressing the raw material with a force to cause a stressas the strong as tensile strength of the material. The bead is rolled byapplying a high compressing force corresponding to the strength at theyield point or several times as large as the yield strength of thematerial all over the surface of the beads. The detailed method ofworking a bead is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.63-32848.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line C—C ofFIG. 3. The figure shows details of the trapezoidal door end post 225,the entrance post 226 and the connecting portion of the wainscot panelportion 222 and the bead 222 a. Attaching flanges 224 c, provided atboth ends, in the longitudinal direction of the car-body, of thewainscot panel portion 222 and the adjacent door pocket plates 220 areoverlapped and spot-welded.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of the line D—D ofFIG. 3. The figure shows details of the connecting portion of thepost-shaped protrusion 224 and the bead 222 b. The bead 222 b and thepost-shaped protrusion 224 are protrusively formed together by a methodto be described later .

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion E of FIG. 3.The figure shows details of the connecting portion of the window header230 and the window portion post 227. The window header 230 and thewindow portion post 227 are fixed together through a nail portion 227 aextending from the top end of the trapezoidal window portion post 227.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are enlarged cross-sectional views of the portion Fof FIG. 3. The figures show details of the connecting portion of thepost-shaped protrusion 224 and the window sill 229. The post-shapedprotrusion 224 and the window sill 229 are fixed together through a nailprojection portion 224 a, 224 b extending from near the top end of thetrapezoidal post-shaped protrusion 224.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion H of FIG. 3.The figure shows the detail of the post-shaped protrusion 224 and therocker rail fixed to the lower end of the outside plate 202.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a portion of a car-bodystructure of a rail-car with a bending portion in the wainscot panelportion which corresponds to FIG. 5. The wainscot panel portion 222 isformed in the same manner as that of FIG. 5 and then is worked so as tobe bent.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a portion of a car-body structureof a rail-car with a bending portion in the wainscot panel portion whichcorresponds to the portion G of FIG. 3, that is, the bending portion inthe wainscot panel portion of the car body. For a panel having a bend Rin the wainscot panel portion, the difference between the inner andouter peripheral lengths in the bending direction caused by the bend Ris absorbed by providing a plurality of ribs composed of a depressed rib224 d placed in the top surface of the trapezoidal post-shapedprotrusion 224 and protruding ribs 224 e, formed in both of the sidesurfaces in the rib member so as to extend in the direction normal tothe bending direction, as shown in FIG. 13.

The magnitude of the bending of the bending portion R can be matched byvarying the depth, pitch and number of the ribs 224 d. For example, in acase where the bend R is large compared to the case of a small R, thedepth and the height of the ribs are set smaller, and the pitch is setwider and the number is set smaller. The protruding rib 224 e is formedin the side surface of the trapezoidal by plastic deforming at the sametime that the depressing rib 22 d is formed.

A method of manufacturing the side block 200 in accordance with thepresent invention will be described below, referring to FIG. 14 and FIG.15. Initially, an example of a wainscot panel portion of a car-bodywithout bend will be described. As described above, the reinforcingplate 201 is composed of a plurality of panels 280, such as the doorpocket plate 220, the frieze board portion 221, the wainscot panelportion 222, the door header panel portion 223 and so on, and the beads,the bar-rings and the ribs are provided corresponding to the shape ofeach of the panels. Therefore, the presence or absence of the bead,bar-ring and the rib in each of the panels and their shapes aredifferent depending on the panel position in the reinforcing plate.Accordingly, it is necessary to design each of the panels as an assemblyof optimum divided panels in advance (S1402). Herein, description willbe made of a method of manufacturing a panel in the portion of thewainscot panel portion 222 as an example.

Firstly, a working raw material for manufacturing the panel 280 of thewainscot panel portion is brought in (S1404). As a material for thereinforcing plate 201 of the side block, for example, a rectangularstainless steel plate (SUS 301) having a plate thickness of nearly 0.8mm is used. Projecting nails 224 a are formed in one end of the steelplate, as shown in FIG. 15 at (a).

Next, a number of long narrow protrusions, that is, beads 222 b having aheight of, for example, nearly 8 mm extending in the horizontal(longitudinal) direction of the side block are formed in the steel plate(S1406). During the bead working, a bead is worked by pressing theworking raw material of the steel plate using a bead working metalpattern for a rectangular bead of, for example, 25 mm width, 8 mm heightand 200 mm length. Then, the steel plate is moved in the longitudinaldirection by 180 mm which is slightly shorter than the length of themetal pattern, and the bead is worked in the same manner as indicatedabove. By doing so, the dimension in the longitudinal direction of thebead shape can be freely determined. According to this method, theflexibility of the metal pattern is high because one metal pattern cancope with different bead lengths.

In the bead working, after forming the long narrow protrusions, that is,the beads in the working raw material of the steel plate for the panel280 in advance, the beads are pressed with a large force 4 to 5 times aslarge as the load at the yield point of the steel plate. That is, byapplying a compressing force as large as the load at the yield point orseveral times the yield strength of the working material in thethickness direction, the bead working strain can be reduced and thestrain in the panel 280 can be decreased to a low level. The working ofthe beads 222 b is preferably performed prior to bar-ring working andpost-shaped protrusion working in order to increase the working accuracyof the panel 280, that is, the reinforcing plate 201.

Further, the beads contribute to an increase in the rigidity of thewhole reinforcing plate 201. Furthermore, in order to increase therigidity, it is better to increase the height of the bead, for example,10 to 15 times as high as the thickness of the plate and to increase thenumber of beads.

Next, a plurality of trapezoidal ribs, that is, wainscot panel portionpost-shaped protrusions 224 having a height of nearly 40 mm extending ina direction intersecting at a right angle with the bead are formed bybending the panel between the beads 222 b, 222 b using an oil hydraulicpress, as shown in FIG. 15 at (b) (S1408).

Further, holes parallel to each of the beads are formed between thebeads of the steel plate using an oil hydraulic press, and long holeswith rib having a height of, for example, nearly 10 mm, that is,bar-rings 222 a are formed, as shown in FIG. 15 at (c) (S1410).According to this method, no wrinkle is produced in the surface to be incontact with the outside plate, which is different from in theconventional method, and manufacturing of the wainscot panel portion canbe easily performed.

Further, attaching flanges 224 c are formed in both end sides of thesteel plate. The flange 224 c has a step so as to overlap on the endportion of a post 225 of the door pocket plate portion 220. Further,steps are formed in the projecting nails 224 a, 224 b so as to overlapthe top portion and the end portion of the window sill 229.

Although there are six bar-rings in the panel in the example shown inFIG. 15, at the time of working six holes are bored using a single metalpattern at a time. At the same time, bar-rings of these six holes arealso formed using a single metal pattern at a time. At that time, thesteps are formed by pressing in the protruding nails 224 a, 224 b andthe attaching flanges 224 c at the same time.

By the process as described above, the panel 280 having trapezoidal ribsextending in the direction crossing the beads and the bar-rings formedin a unit, that is, reinforcing plate 201, is manufactured through pressworking of a steel plate.

In the following process, by pressing the portion between the end of thebead 222 b and the post 224 of the panel with a force larger than theload at the yield point of the steel plate using an oil hydraulic press,the end of the bead 222 b is connected to the post-shaped protrusion 224of the wainscot panel portion to form one piece, as shown in FIG. 15 at(d). By connecting the end of the bead 222 b and the post-shapedprotrusion 224 of the wainscot panel portion in one piece as describedabove, the rigidity of the reinforcing plate 201 can be furtherincreased (S1412). In other words, by connecting the bead and thepost-shaped protrusion, the strength to a vertical force and ahorizontal force acting on the connecting portion can be increased and ahigher rigidity can be attained. The bead working in this step may beperformed using a press having a common pressing force.

By the same method as used for the wainscot panel portion 222, asdescribed above, the reinforcing plate 201 for the door pocket plateportion 220, the frieze board portion 221 or the door header panelportion 223 can be manufactured as a panel 280 having the beads, thebar-rings and the ribs worked in a steel plate. The presence or absenceof the bead, bar-ring and the rib in each of the panels 280 and theirshapes are different depending on the panel position in the reinforcingplate.

For example, in the panel composing the reinforcing plate of the doorpocket plate portion 220, the trapezoidal door end post 225 and thetrapezoidal entrance post 226 vertically extending are formed in bothend portions, respectively, and a plurality of the beads 220 b and aplurality of the bar-rings 220 a are alternately formed in the middleportion. Both ends of each bead 220 b are continued to the door end postand the entrance post 226.

In the upper end of the door pocket plate portion 220, only the door endpost 225 is projected upward compared to the other portions. The doorpocket plates 220 are arranged at both sides of the entrance. Therefore,the door header panel 223 is placed in the space from the door end post225 in one of the door pocket plates 220 to the door end post 225 in theother of the door pocket plates 220.

Further, in the panel composing the reinforcing plate of the friezeboard portion 221, two trapezoidal window posts 227 extending verticallyare formed in the middle portion, and one bar-ring 220 a is formedbetween two beads 220 b extending in the horizontal direction. The endof each of the beads 220 b is continued to the window post 227. Theattaching flanges in both ends of the panel are overlapped with thebottom portion in the end portion of the door end post 225.

Further, the bead 223 a and the bar-ring 223 b extending in thehorizontal direction and the door header panel post 236 extendingvertically are formed in the panel composing the reinforcing plate ofthe door header panel portion 223. One end of the bead 223 b iscontinued to the door header panel post 236. The attaching flange in oneend of the panel is overlapped with the bottom portion in the endportion of the door end post 225.

Beads are formed in the end portions in the vertical direction of eachof the panels. The reason for this is that strain is apt to occur in theend portion at the time of plastic working, and the beads suppress thestrain.

Each of the panels 280 of the reinforcing plate 201 formed in such amanner is placed on an outside plate 202, and the ends of the adjacentpanels of the door pocket plate portion 220, the frieze board portion221, the wainscot panel portion 222, the door header panel portion 223,the window sill 229 and the window header 230 are overlapped. Then,these overlapped portions and the overlapped portions with the outsideplate 202 are spot-welded. By doing so, the structure of the side block200 is completed (S1420).

In a case where the side block 200 has a bend in the wainscot panelportion of a car-body, working of the bending portion R is furtherperformed to the panel 280, as shown in FIG. 15 (e) (S1416). This workis independently performed for each of the panels of the reinforcingplates 201 prior to joining them with the outside plate.

Working of the bending portion will be described below, referring toFIG. 12 and FIG. 16 to FIG. 21. FIG. 16 is an enlarged front viewshowing the main portion of a metal pattern used for working a bendingportion. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken on the plane of theline A—A of FIG. 16. A bending portion of the reinforcing plate 201having a rib member, such as a post-shaped protrusion 224, ispress-formed by one upper metal pattern composed of three upper patterns(501, 502, 504) and one lower metal pattern (510). The upper pattern 501has a protruding portion 503 corresponding to the denting rib 224 dprovided in the top surface of a trapezoid of a side post, and a dentinggroove 512 is provided in the top surface of a protruding portion 511 ofthe lower metal pattern 510.

It can be understood from FIG. 17 that the lateral directions of theupper metal pattern and the lower metal pattern are arcuate surfaceshaving a radius of curvature which agrees with a radius of curvature ofthe bending portion of the wainscot panel portion of the car-body. Thesurfaces of the top end portions of the right and the left upperpatterns 502, 504 are formed so as to press the bottom surfaces of thetrapezoids of the side posts, that is, the surfaces the bar-ring holes.Further, the distance between the top end portions of the right and theleft upper patterns 502, 504 is so large that part of the panel materialcan be projected outward from the side surfaces to form the protrudingportions 224 e when the denting rib 224 d is formed.

FIG. 18 shows bending portions of a panel 280 to be bending-worked, andFIG. 19 to FIG. 21 show examples of the metal patterns corresponding tovarious worked positions of the bending portions. Each of FIG. 19 toFIG. 21 shows a state in which the upper metal pattern and the lowermetal pattern are separated after completion of the bending work on thepanel 280.

A rib 224 dA of the post-shaped protrusion 224 and holes of bar-rings222 a exist on the line A—A of FIG. 18. A metal pattern having a shapeshown in FIG. 19 is used for the portion along the line A—A in the panel280, that is, the portion having the rib 224 dA of the post-shapedprotrusion 224 and the holes of the bar-rings 222 a.

As for the upper metal pattern used, an upper pattern 505 for pressingbetween the bar-ring and the bar-ring of the panel and a metal pattern506 for press attaching flanges 224 c in both end portions of the panelare added to the upper patterns (501, 502, 504) of the upper metalpattern 500, shown in FIG. 16. As for the lower metal pattern, a lowerpattern 513 for pressing the attaching flanges 224 c in both endportions of the panel is added.

Letting the length from the bottom of the post-shaped protrusion 224 tothe bar-ring 222 a be l₁ and the width between the upper patterns 502,504 be L₁, the relation between them is L₁<l₁ (FIG. 19).

Letting the length from the bar-ring 222 a to the attaching flange 224 cbe l₂ and the width of the upper pattern 506 be L₂, the relation betweenthem is L₂<l₂. The reference character L₃ denotes a portion necessaryfor pressing both end portions of the panel.

Further, letting the length between one bar-ring and an adjacentbar-ring be l₄ and the width of the upper pattern 505 be L₄, therelation between them is L₄<l₄. Essentially, no upper pattern exists onthe bar-ring holes.

A rib 224 dB of the post-shaped protrusion 224 exists on the line B—B ofFIG. 18. The rib 224 dB is formed so as to be positioned on the middleline between the bead 222 b and the bar-ring 222 a. A metal patternhaving a shape shown in FIG. 20 is used for the portion along the lineB—B in the panel 280, that is, the portion having the rib 224 dB of thepost-shaped protrusion 224 and the flat portions corresponding to thebottom surface of the post-shaped protrusion 224. As for the upper metalpattern, upper patterns 507, 508 for press-forming the flat portions areadded to the upper patterns shown in FIG. 16. As for the lower metalpattern, a protruding portion 513 for pressing both end portions of thepanel exists in the lower pattern 510.

For example, working of the rib 224 dA of FIG. 18 is performed using themetal pattern of FIG. 19 to bend the panel along the line A—A, and thenthe rib 224 dB is formed using the metal pattern of FIG. 20. The bendingradius of the panel can be decreased by successively forming the ribs,bending the panel and increasing the number of ribs, as described above.No rib is formed on the extension line of the bead.

The post-shaped protrusion 224 and beads 222 b exist on the line C—C ofFIG. 18. One end of the bead is connected to the post-shaped protrusion224. A metal pattern having a shape shown in FIG. 21 is used for workingthe portion along the line C—C in the panel 280, that is, the portionconnecting the post-shaped protrusion 224 and the bead 222 b (S1412 ofFIG. 14). The upper metal pattern has a dent 509 for press-forming thepost-shaped protrusion 224, denting portions 516 for forming a beadconnecting to the bead 222 b between the end portion of the bead 222 band the side surface of the post-shaped protrusion 224 and flatportions. This bead 222 b is worked in the step S1406 of FIG. 14.

The lower metal pattern has a protruding portion 511 for press-formingthe post-shaped protrusion 224 and connecting bead pieces 514 forpress-forming the bead 222 b so as to continue to the post-shapedprotrusions 224 and a flat portion.

Another method of manufacturing a panel 280 composing the reinforcingplate 201 in the wainscot panel portion of the side block in accordancewith the present invention will be described below, referring to FIG.22.

In the panel 280, there are formed beads 222 b, bar-rings 222 a andattaching flanges 224 c made of a material, such as steel, or stainlesssteel integrated in a one-piece structure by press-working. There aretwo types of beads 222 b, that is, continuous bead 222 b 1 in thehorizontal direction and discrete bead 222 b 2. The manufacturing stepsup to forming this shape are the same as in the above-mentionedembodiment (S1402 to S1410 of FIG. 14). However, there is no stepcorresponding to S1408.

Then, the panel is inserted into a metal pattern covering the whole ofthe panel 280 and the panel is pressed from both the upper side so asand the lower side to be bent. The panel is bent at a portion where thebeads 222 b do not exist. The attaching flanges 224 c are formed in atboth ends of the panel using this metal pattern. The panel of thisembodiment does not have the trapezoidal post 224 in the wainscot panelportion. Therefore, the panel 280 is suitable for a reinforcing plate201 used in a portion requiring not so much strength. For example, itcan be considered that the reinforcing plate 201 is used for areinforcing plate composing the door pocket plate portion 220.

A further method of manufacturing a panel 280 composing the reinforcingplate 201 in the wainscot panel portion of the side block in accordancewith the present invention will be described below, referring to FIG.23. In the panel 280, in the same manner as shown in FIG. 22, beads 222b and bar-rings 222 a made of a material such as steel or stainlesssteel integrated in a one-piece structure are formed by press-working.However, the reinforcing plate 201 is flat and without a bendingportion. Further, wainscot panel portion posts 290 are separatelymanufactured by folding-working. In the side surfaces of the wainscotpanel portion post 290, notches 292 are provided in the portionsintersecting with the bead 222 b. Flange portions 294 of the wainscotpanel portion post 290 are spot-welded to the flat surface of the panel280. After that, the panel is bending-worked for the bending portion bythe step S1416 in the method of FIG. 14.

Posts separately bending-worked may be spot-welded to the panel 280 withthe bending portion obtained in the embodiment of FIG. 22.

Further, the structure of a side block may be manufactured by a methodin which each of the panels 280 of the reinforcing plates 201 for thedoor pocket plate portion 220, the frieze board portion 221, thewainscot panel portion 222 and the door header panel portion 223 aremanufactured by selectively combining the method described above, thepanels 280 formed in such a way are placed on an outside plate 202, theends of the panels adjacent to each other are overlapped, and theseoverlapped portions and the portions which overlap with the outsideplate 228 are spot-welded.

The reinforcing plate in accordance with the present invention has beendescribed by taking the side block 200 of the car-body structure 1 as anexample. However, it is needless to say that by taking advantage of thecharacteristics of a decreased number of parts, high rigidity and lowstrain, the present invention can be applied to the reinforcing platesfor the end block 300 and the roof block 400 in addition to the sideblock.

For example, the end post 306 and the end outside plate 308 of the endblock 300 can be manufactured by providing a plurality of beads andbar-rings extending in the longitudinal direction in parallel in thereinforcing plate and by providing post-shaped protrusions in thedirection intersection at a right angle with the longitudinal direction.

Further, the side plate 405 and the outside plate 407 of the roof block400 can be manufactured by providing a plurality of beads and bar-ringsextending in the longitudinal direction of the block in parallel in thereinforcing plate and by joining a panel having post-shaped protrusionsin the direction intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinaldirection to the outside plate.

As described above, in the reinforcing plate in accordance with thepresent invention, portions for maintaining the strength of thereinforcing plate, that is, beads, bar-rings and post-shapedprotrusions, are formed in a one-piece structure through plasticworking. By forming the portions for maintaining the strength in aone-piece structure, the number of parts and the number of weldingpoints can be reduced and, accordingly, the man-power required forassembly can be substantially reduced. Further, since at least one endof the bead and the post-shaped protrusion in the reinforcing plate areconnected so as to form one structure through plastic working, thestrength of the reinforcing plate against a vertical force and ahorizontal force acting on the connecting portion becomes strong and ahigh rigidity can be attained. Therefore, it is possible to provide acar-body structure having a high rigidity.

Further, the reinforcing plate has a plurality of beads and bar-rings inparallel and post-shaped protrusions in the direction intersecting at aright angle with the beads, and a compressing force as large as the loadat the yield point or several times the yield strength of the materialof the panel is applied to the reinforcing plate in the thicknessdirection of the material in order to form the beads. Therefore, it ispossible to provide a car having a high rigidity in the reinforcingplate, small stress in the structural member, a high dimensionalaccuracy and, accordingly, a high assembling accuracy.

Furthermore, since the panel has low strain, the surface of the outsideplate, that is, the outside surface of the car-body, becomes flat and,accordingly, the appearance is improved.

In addition to these features, in the side structure having a bendingportion in the wainscot panel portion of the car-body, a plurality ofribs are provided in the rib portion of the panel in order to absorb thedifference of length between inner and outer peripheries due to bending.By varying the depth, pitch and number of the ribs depending on themagnitude of the bending, it is possible to obtain a panel structurehaving a shape corresponding to any bend in the wainscot panel portionof a car-body, and, therefore, the application range can besubstantially increased.

The reinforcing plate may be employed in a partial position of the sideblock. For example, in a car in which each of widows is arrangedcorresponding to each of seats, the width of the window is small and theinterval between the windows is narrow. Various conventional reinforcingmembers can be arranged between the windows.

What is claimed is:
 1. A car comprising a pair of end blocks formingwalls extending in the width direction of the car and provided on afloor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and a pair of sideblocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of thecar, wherein at least one of said side block, said roof block and saidend block is formed of a one-piece structure consisting of an outsideplate and a reinforcing plate; said reinforcing plate being composed ofpanels, at least one of said panels having a bead of a long and narrowprojection formed by plastic working of a metal plate and extending inthe longitudinal direction of said block, a hole extending along saidbead and a bar-ring formed through plastic working around said hole, anda post-shaped protrusion extending in a direction intersecting at aright angle with the longitudinal direction of said bead and saidbar-ring; said bead, said bar-ring and said post-shaped protrusion beingprojected from one side surface of said panel; at least one end of saidbead and said post-shaped protrusion being connected so as to form onestructure through plastic working; and said panel and said outside platebeing joined to form a unit, wherein said bead of said panel, saidbar-ring and said post-shaped protrusion are formed in the same memberthrough plastic working.
 2. A car comprising a pair of end blocksforming walls extending in the width direction of the car and providedon a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and a pair ofside blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinal directionof the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roof block andsaid end block is formed of a one-piece structure consisting of anoutside plate and a reinforcing plate which are made of a metallicmaterial; said reinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least oneof said panels having a bead of a long and narrow projection formed byplastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinaldirection of said block, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in adirection intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal directionof said bead; at least one of said panels having more than one of saidbead; each said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being projectedfrom one said surface of said panel; said bead being formed through rollworking under a compressing force as large as any one of a load at theyield point and several times the yield strength of the material of saidpanel; and said panel and said outside plate being jointed to form aunit, wherein said post-shaped protrusion is formed at both ends in thelongitudinal direction of said beads.
 3. A car comprising a pair of endblocks forming walls extending in the width direction of the car andprovided on a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and apair of side blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinaldirection of the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roofblock and said end block is formed of a one-piece structure consistingof an outside plate and a reinforcing plate which are made of a metallicmaterial; said reinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least oneof said panels having a bead of a long and narrow projection formed byplastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinaldirection of said block, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in adirection intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal directionof said bead; at least one of said panels having more than one of saidbead; each said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being projectedfrom one said surface of said panel; said bead being formed through rollworking under a compressing force as large as any one of a load at theyield point and several times the yield strength of the material of saidpanel; and said panel and said outside plate being jointed to form aunit, wherein ends of said beads are connected to said post-shapedprotrusion so as to form one structure through plastic working.
 4. A carcomprising a pair of end blocks forming walls extending in the widthdirection of the car and provided on a floor block, a roof block forminga roof of the car and a pair of side blocks forming side walls extendingin the longitudinal direction of the car, wherein at least one of saidside block, said roof block and said end block is formed of a one-piecestructure consisting of an outside plate and a reinforcing plate; saidreinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least one of said panelshaving a bead of a long and narrow projection formed by plastic workingof a metal plate and extending in the longitudinal direction of saidblock, a hole extending along said bead and a bar-ring formed throughplastic working around said hole, and a post-shaped protrusion extendingin a direction intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinaldirection of said bead and said bar-ring; said bead, said bar-ring andsaid post-shaped protrusion being projected from one side surface ofsaid panel; at least one end of said bead and said post-shapedprotrusion being connected so as to form one structure through plasticworking; and said panel and said outside plate being joined to form aunit, wherein height of said bead is 10 to 15 times as large as theplate thickness of said panel material.
 5. A car comprising a pair ofend blocks forming walls extending in the width direction of the car andprovided on a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and apair of side blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinaldirection of the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roofblock and said end block is formed of a one-piece structure consistingof an outside plate and a reinforcing plate; said reinforcing platebeing composed of panels, at least one of said panels having a bead of along and narrow projection formed by plastic working of a metal plateand extending in the longitudinal direction of said block, a holeextending along said bead and a bar-ring formed through plastic workingaround said hole, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in a directionintersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal direction of saidbead and said bar-ring; said bead, said bar-ring and said post-shapedprotrusion being projected from one side surface of said panel; at leastone end of said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being connected soas to form one structure through plastic working; and said panel andsaid outside plate being joined to form a unit, wherein said side blockhas a bending portion in a wainscot panel portion, and a depressionextending in a direction intersecting at a right angle with thelongitudinal direction of said post-shaped protrusion is formed on thetop surface of said post-shaped protrusion corresponding to said bendingportion.
 6. A car comprising a pair of end blocks forming wallsextending in the width direction of the car and provided on a floorblock, a roof block forming a roof of the car and a pair of side blocksforming side walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the car,wherein at least one of said side block, said roof block and said endblock is formed of a one-piece structure consisting of an outside plateand a reinforcing plate; said reinforcing plate being composed ofpanels, at least one of said panels having a bead of a long and narrowprojection formed by plastic working of a metal plate and extending inthe longitudinal direction of said block, a hole extending along saidbead and a bar-ring formed through plastic working around said hole, anda post-shaped protrusion extending in a direction intersecting at aright angle with the longitudinal direction of said bead and saidbar-ring; said bead, said bar-ring and said post-shaped protrusion beingprojected from one side surface of said panel; at least one end of saidbead and said post-shaped protrusion being connected so as to form onestructure through plastic working; and said panel and said outside platebeing joined to form a unit, wherein a door pocket plate has apost-shaped protrusion on both sides of the door pocket plate in thelongitudinal direction of the car, and a bead is arranged between saidpost-shaped protrusions.
 7. A car comprising a pair of end blocksforming walls extending in the width direction of the car and providedon a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and a pair ofside blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinal directionof the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roof block andsaid end block is formed of a one-piece structure consisting of anoutside plate and a reinforcing plate which are made of a metallicmaterial; said reinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least oneof said panels having a bead of a long and narrow projection formed byplastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinaldirection of said block, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in adirection intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal directionof said bead; at least one of said panels having more than one of saidbead; each said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being projectedfrom one said surface of said panel; said bead being formed through rollworking under a compressing force as large as any one of a load at theyield point and several times the yield strength of the material of saidpanel; and said panel and said outside plate being jointed to form aunit, wherein height of said bead is 10 to 15 times as large as theplate thickness of said panel material.
 8. A car comprising a pair ofend blocks forming walls extending in the width direction of the car andprovided on a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and apair of side blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinaldirection of the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roofblock and said end block is formed of a one-piece structure consistingof an outside plate and a reinforcing plate which are made of a metallicmaterial; said reinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least oneof said panels having a bead of a long and narrow projection formed byplastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinaldirection of said block, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in adirection intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal directionof said bead; at least one of said panels having more than one of saidbead; each said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being projectedfrom one said surface of said panel; said bead being formed through rollworking under a compressing force as large as any one of a load at theyield point and several times the yield strength of the material of saidpanel; and said panel and said outside plate being jointed to form aunit, wherein said side block has a bending portion in a wainscot panelportion, and a depression extending in a direction intersecting at aright angle with the longitudinal direction of said post-shapedprotrusion is formed on the top surface of said post-shaped protrusioncorresponding to said bending portion.
 9. A car comprising a pair of endblocks forming walls extending in the width direction of the car andprovided on a floor block, a roof block forming a roof of the car and apair of side blocks forming side walls extending in the longitudinaldirection of the car, wherein at least one of said side block, said roofblock and said end block is formed of a one-piece structure consistingof an outside plate and a reinforcing plate which are made of a metallicmaterial; said reinforcing plate being composed of panels, at least oneof said panels having a bead of a long and narrow projection formed byplastic working of a metal plate and extending in the longitudinaldirection of said block, and a post-shaped protrusion extending in adirection intersecting at a right angle with the longitudinal directionof said bead; at least one of said panels having more than one of saidbead; each said bead and said post-shaped protrusion being projectedfrom one said surface of said panel; said bead being formed through rollworking under a compressing force as large as any one of a load at theyield point and several times the yield strength of the material of saidpanel; and said panel and said outside plate being jointed to form aunit, wherein a door pocket plate has a post-shaped protrusion on bothsides of the door pocket plate in the longitudinal direction of the car,and a bead is arranged between said post-shaped protrusions.